


A Little Less Wisdom, A Little More Courage

by Barbara_Lazuli



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Dentist fic, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 02:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12049833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbara_Lazuli/pseuds/Barbara_Lazuli
Summary: "You don't have to drive me to the dentist's, Lapis."The light is red at the moment but Lapis only spares Peridot a short glance before focusing back to the road in front of her. She has always been paranoid when driving."Yes, I do have to. You're gonna be really loopy 'cause of the sedatives later. Somebody's gotta bring you home.""Awe, Lapis... We've been roommates for two years now but I always forget how thoughtful you could be.""Eh. I have my phone ready, too. Loopy people say and do a loooooot of crazy things."Peridot slumps back to her seat. "... Right. That's why I always forget."





	A Little Less Wisdom, A Little More Courage

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun little thing I wanted to write.

Lapis thought it was funny at first. How her rommate would often complain about how annoying wisdom teeth are.

"My gum feels all itchy," Peridot said one night with a scowl on her face as they watched Camp Pining Hearts. "'Cause my teeth are overloading my mouth. It's annoying."

Lapis laughed then. Peridot's way with words always amused her for some reason.

When they had pizza for dinner, Peridot solemnly looked at her slice, conflicted.

"What's wrong?" Lapis asked.

"It's gonna be hard to pick out the bread after," Peridot answered as she poked her food. "My tongue's too short to reach so far back, too." Suddenly, Peridot leans toward Lapis, closing the short distance between them on the couch, and sticks her tongue out for Lapis to confirm its length. "See?"

The sight and proximity causes Lapisto prematurely swallow a mouthful of pizza. She chokes but Peridot doesn't notice as she leans back.

"You're lucky your tongue's long, Lapis. You could reach a lot."

"Oh my god," Lapis gasps after drinking water to help her poor throat. "Stop. You don't even know the implications of what you're saying, do you?"

Peridot only innocently stared at her then, clearly not understanding Lapis' dilemma.

Peridot's way with words isn't just amusing to Lapis.

\---- ---- ---- ----

You don't have to drive me to the dentist's, Lapis."

The light is red at the moment but Lapis only spares Peridot a short glance before focusing back to the road in front of her. She has always been paranoid when driving.

"Yes, I do have to. You're gonna be really loopy 'cause of the sedatives later. Somebody's gotta bring you home."

"Awe, Lapis... We've been roommates for two years now but I always forget how thoughtful you could be."

"Eh. I have my phone ready, too. Loopy people say and do a loooooot of crazy things."

Peridot slumps back to her seat. "... Right. That's why I always forget."

A moment later, the light turns green and the car is moving again. The comfortable silence is broken when Peridot speaks up.

"Will I be unconscious while the doctor works on my teeth?"

"Hmm... Yeah. I guess so."

"Okay, good. I hate it when he talks to me while he works."

"What? But you love talking."

"Yeah but not when dental apparatuses are in my mouth. He'll be all 'Hey, how's university?' then I'll answer with 'Ish aw'wigh'."

Lapis snorts out a laugh, careful to keep her eyes open.

"I swear, he does it on purpose," Peridot continues. "He only ever asks me questions when he's poking my mouth with something."

\---- ---- ---- ----

The dental clinic is very small and modest place. Not very big, but clean and complete with the necessary equipment and facilities. 

Well. Atleast, Lapis assumes they're complete. Lapis knows jack about dentistry and clinics.

They approach the receptionist to confirm Peridot's appointment with the dentist. The receprionist nods, saying that they can stay in the waiting are for the meantime. They comply and sit on one of the couches. Lapis pulls out her phone, mindlessly scrolling through her social media before she notices how much Peridot is fidgeting.

"Hey," Lapid calls out to Peridot whose leg is restlessly bouncing. "Are you okay?"

Peridot looks away. "Yeah, yeah. Of course! Why would I not be?"

"A dentist is about to pull your teeth out," Lapis says bluntly.

She notices Peridor bite her lip. Lapis has been doing that a lot lately; looking at Peridot's mouth. Totaly because of the wisdom tooth thing. Totally.

Peridot laughs nervously. "I guess I'm just scared."

Her leg doesn't stop its bouncing. Lapis means to hold her knee to cease the nervous tic but she maybe-sorta slips and her hand lands on Peridot's lower thigh instead. Peridot squeaks in surprise but Lapis ignores it. 

The leg finally stops bouncing.

"Come on," Lapis tries a comforting smile. "You're gonna be fine. You'll be unconscious the whole time anyway."

Peridot's face scrunches up. "Have you _seen_ the needles they use to numb the pain?"

"... Uh..."

"They're gigantic! What if his hand slips and suddenly the needle goes through my throat?!"

Lapis' eyes dart toward the father and son seated on the couch beside them. The boy's face falls, horror covering his face.

"I changed my mind," Peridot stands. "I can stand a bit of discomfort. Discomfort doesn't potentially kill people."

Lapis shoots an apologetic look toward the father before dragging Peridot back to her chair. 

"Peri, calm down. Your dentist isn't gonna kill you with the syringe. He's done this a dozen times. You're just gonna go there get those extra teeth taken out. And maybe go home high 'cause of laughing gas."

"You're really shoddy at cheering people up, Lazuli..."

Lapis wraps her arms around Peridot's neck without thinking. She just wants to calm her down. "Is... Is this working?"

When Peridot doesn't answer, Lapis is ready to let go and apologize for the weird behavior, maybe even brush it off with a joke. But a pair of short arms stop her, encircling her middle. She feels Peridot breathe a shaky exhale before nodding minutely.

"...maybe. Thanks, Laz."

Lapis smiles on her blonde hair, unknowingly inhaling Peridot's shampoo's scent. "After this, we'll go home and order pizza and ice cream." She backtracks, "actually, on second thought, maybe when your teeth feels better."

Peridot laughs on her collarbone. "I like that."

They separate rather awkwardly when Peridot's name is called. The receptionist has a huge smile on her face and her eyebrows raised when Lapis looks at her,making her cheeks burn hotter. 

Peridot hugs her one last time before eventually going with the receptionist, saying, "wait for me, okay?" before disappearing behind the door.

Lapis sits back down, ready to waste her time on the internet for the next few hours when someone pokes her arm. She sees the boy from before, his eyes now full of stars instead of terror.

"Hi..."

"Uh... Hello?"

"I'm Steven!" he says with an outstretched hand.

Lapis glances at the father who nods approvingly before taking Steven's hand and shaking it. 

"Lapis."

Steven points a thumb toward the door where Peridot disappeared. "Are you guys married?"

"Steven!" the boy's father shoots up from where he's sat. "I'm so sorry. His favorite book had a huge weding in the ending. He's been really crazy about it recently."

"It's fine, it's fine," she says to the father before facing Steven again. "We're not married. She's not even my girlfriend."

"Aawwee... I thought you guys were. You seemed realy close." Steven's face falls again. "You even live together."

"That's because we're roommates..." Lapis looks away. She knows she's probably red as a tomato right now. "She probably doesn't like me that anyway."

Steven's eyes scan her and suddenly she feels like her soul is being judged by a maybe 10 year old boy. Lapis calms down when Steven smiles softly.

"Well, would you like to be?"

Lapis blinks. Her gaze drifts to the door. Peridot is probably sweating a lot due to her anxiety right now, but she feels a whole mesh of feelings at the thought: worry, exasperation, mirth, and adoration.

"Yeah. Someday"

\---- ---- ---- ----

Lapis wasn't really planning on taking a video of Peridot. It was just a joke to tease her, of course. When she's led to Peridot after the"surgery", however, she's very much tempted to take out her phone.

Peridot's eyes are unfocused, mindlessly staring at the ceiling. Her mouth is filled with cotton, making her cheeks look puffy, like a bunny. An adorable green bunny.

 _Just... Just one picture..._

Lapis is snapped out of her reverie when the dentist finally speaks.

"Hey, Peri... Your friend is here now..."

"But doc," Peridot tries to speak as best as she can with cotton shoved in her mouth, but it's making it very difficult for Lapis to hold back her cooing. "The aliens. The aliens are gonna come for me. They're gonna take me away from these cloddy, stupid human beings! Finally!"

Lapis snorts. "I hope I'm not one of those clody, stupid human beings."

Peridot's head snaps to her direction, her eyes suddenly looking mire focused. "Lapis?" She gingerly stands up abd walks toward her, her legs wobbly and unstable. "Laaaaaaaaapiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis..."

Peridot crashes to her in sorta hug and Lapis embraces her back, simultaneously supporting her unsteady friend. "Whoa there," she laughs.

Peridot nuzzles to her. "Of course you're not cloddy, Lapis. You're my favorite human."

Lapis purses her lips, her face reddening once again. The dentist chuckles.

"I hope she didn't say anything too embarassing." She ponders a bit more. "Or offending."

The dentist shakes his head with a kind smile. "Nothing I haven't seen before. She kept on saying that the aliens are gonna be amazed by her mighty power." 

Lapis laughs with Peridot still in her arms, mumbling incoherrent things. The dentist waves them farewell and gives Lapis instructions for what to do once she gets Peridot back home.

\---- ---- ---- ----

During the whole car ride, Peridot just sings along to the radio, her voice scratchy and high pitched, but Lapis loves it. When Peridot attempts to hit a high note, a cotton falls from her mouth and Lapis almost dies of laughter if she wasn't driving. 

Peridot turns quiet and she can feel the other girl staring at her.

"What?" Lapis asks, the ghost of a laugter still on her lips.

"I really like making you laugh," Peridot says, her voice still dreamy. 

"Dude. Are you poetic when you're high or something?"

Peridot ignores her question. "I like hearing you laugh. I like that I can do that. Jasper only makes you cry."

Lapis' grip on the wheel tightens at the mention of her ex's name. Peridot always avoided talking about Japer, mostly because she knew Lapis didn't want to. She really is loopy.

"You rarely laugh, too," Peridot talks more. 

Why is she still talking? She should stop talking like that. Lapis' heart needs to survive a few more miles before they're safe at home. 

"Making Lapis Lazuli happy is the greatest super power I have."

Lapis can't really deny that.

\---- ---- ---- -----

Lapis almost had to carry Peridot back to their apartment. It's a good thing that Peridot is much shorter than Lapis. It's just a little annoying that Peridor isn't doing anything to support herself. Just laugh.

When Lapis finished making Peridot take the medicine the dentist said she should take by the time they get home, Lapis practically drops her on her bed. Peridot giggles as she bounces.

"Okay," Lapis pants, tired. "That's enough carrying you around the house. Go to bed."

Peridot giggles some more for no reason at all. "Hay, hey, Lapis?"

"Hmm?" Lapis responds mindlessly, ready to rest in her own bed.

"How long should I wait before I can ask you out?"

Lapis stops in her tracks. Her heart might have stopped, too. "What?"

Peridot's legs are dangling and swinging at the edge of the bed as she talks. "Pearl said that I should wait before asking you since you just broke up with Jasper but I don't really know how long that is. The aliens are taking to me telepathically right now, though, and they said that Pearl is stupid and that I should just go for it." Peridot sits up, now properly looking at Lapis. "So?"

Her smile is big and hopeful but her eyes are still unfocused,and that's what stops Lapis from screaming out, "hell yes!"

Instead Lapis smiles, looking away because she might not be able to hold back at the sight of the girl she terribly loves. "Ask me again when you're not high on laughing gas."

"Awe... But I'm much braver like this! Normal me would probably never ask you out!"

Lapis bites her lip and shakes her head.

_She'll forget about it. She probably doesn't even mean it._

That's what she tells herself before closing the door and running to her own room. She can hear muffled voices, Peridot probably talking to herself or the "aliens". Lapis ignores it, burying herself in het comforter and muffling her squealing.

She's so happy.

\---- ---- ---- ----

When Lapis wajes up that morning, it's with numerous notifications on her phone of Peridot's dozens of videos sent to her last night. Apparently, the noise Lapis heard was Peridot taking a video of her loopy self (ironically), all containing messages to Lapis, differently phrased but basically the same thing.

"When I'm sober, will you go out with me?"

Lapis wanted to scream in delight again but us stopped when she hears a scream from the other room.

Peridot always checks her phone first thing after waking up.


End file.
